Who Am I?

It's easy to discount our thoughts, but they have immense power. New research suggests we have over 6,000 thoughts per day. That is a lot of power with both positive and negative potential.

If there are things about ourselves we want to change, both Scripture and science agree we must start in the mind.

Today's guiding verse is an ancient Proverb that science is finally catching up with. Proverbs 23:7 tells us, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he…”.

In other words, we become our thoughts. The Apostle Paul explained in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that our mind is really a battleground and that we must “bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…”.

The sinful patterns in our lives that are resistant to change are called negative strongholds. The problem is that these strongholds can become part of our identity.

If we don't challenge this way of thinking, we start to accept these sinful patterns as part of our personality. We may find ourselves thinking: “It's just going to be this way… It's in my blood... My parents were just like this…”.

This plays right into the Enemy's lies: “Just give in! This is a part of who you are. You're always going to struggle with this…”.

Paul tells us that these lies form into rigid, powerful fortresses, and the process of tearing them down must be intentional. It's an expedition and a campaign — it's war.

Tomorrow, we will explore where lasting change begins. But we must begin by calling out our negative thoughts and fighting them with God's power.

Remember, as go our thoughts, so goes our lives!

As you engage with God’s Word:

● What negative strongholds are in my life?

● What is God saying to me?

● What do I need to do about it?

After you reflect on these questions, bring everything to God in prayer.